Eating Healthy Doesn’t Mean Giving Up Sweet Treats

One of the biggest things that people worry about when trying to eat healthier is never getting to eat their favorite sweet treats again. Cakes, cookies, and pastries are quite high in fat, sugar, and calories–all the things that you are trying to cut out when you eat healthy. Many experts suggest substituting fruit as a sweet treat, but when you want a cookie, an apple just doesn’t cut it. So, are you doomed to cheat on your new healthy eating plan or can you have your cookie and eat healthy, too?

A New Way of Thinking

Being able to keep eating your favorite sweet treats when you’ve committed to healthy eating is a matter of thinking a bit differently. It is all about the ingredients you use. Healthier sweets use different sweeteners, healthier flours, and alternatives to eggs. These switches help to reduce the calories and fat in these foods.

In addition to creating a healthier treat, you also have to realize that you can’t sit down and eat half a cake or a whole container of cookies. It is and always will be about moderation. Even the healthier versions of these foods are not a substitute for the fruits and vegetables that you need in a healthy diet.

Alternative Ingredients

While you may get lucky and find a bakery that is creating healthy treats or you may be able to find products like those shown on the Hampton Creek Facebook page, chances are you will want to try to create your own sweets in your home kitchen. In order to do this, you need to become familiar with the alternative ingredients that you will need to use.

It’s important to note, though, that substituting ingredients can change the way the item bakes and its texture. You may have to experiment with different ingredients before you find what works. However, there are several common substitutions that baking experts use that seem to work well. These are alternatives to white flour, eggs, and sugar.

Remember also that a healthier baked treat means that you are increasing the health value of the food, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a food that you can eat everyday or one that you can eat instead of all the healthy foods you should be eating.

Substitutions for White Flour

White flour is stripped of its nutritional benefits, which is the main reason why it should be avoided. In addition, because it has been stripped of the fiber and other nutrients, it is less filling. On a healthy diet, you want to avoid white flour because it isn’t beneficial to your health.

Flour can be tricky to substitute, though, because flour plays such a critical role in baked goods. However, there are some tried and true substitutions that you can use.

Whole wheat flour – this can be substituted for half the white flour in a recipe
Black beans – substitute equally for flour, works great in brownies
Oat flour – requires an increase in liquid when used
Banana flour – can be substituted completely for white flour

Substitutions for Eggs

While eggs do contain many beneficial nutrients, the yolk is incredibly high in cholesterol. It is an animal product, so if you are trying to eat vegan, you will want to avoid eggs completely. Luckily, there are several alternatives you can use in your baking.

Silken tofu – 1/4 cup replaces one egg; must be blended until smooth before use
Flaxseed – One tablespoon mixed with three tablespoons and water substitutes for one egg
Bananas – 1/2 cup replaces one egg
Yogurt – 1/4 cup for one egg

Substitutions for Sugar

Sugar is something we hear a lot about. It doesn’t have any nutritional value and is blamed for the obesity epidemic. Sugar is an important ingredient in any sweet treat, but there are many sweetener alternatives that will work so well that you won’t even realize the sugar is gone. In addition, these substitutions have added health benefits.

Blackstrap molasses – Substitute 1 1/3 cups for one cup sugar; packed with calcium, iron, potassium, copper, and B vitamins
Honey – 3/4 cup for one cup sugar; rich in potassium, and Vitamins B and C
Maple syrup – 3/4 cup for one cup sugar; full of calcium, omega-6 fatty acids, zinc, iron, calcium, and manganese

Eating healthy doesn’t mean saying goodbye to all the sweet treats you love. In fact, with some smart substitutions, you can actually make your baked goods into healthy treats. So, you really can have your cookie and eat healthy, too.